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The Oregon Department of Transportation may not ever paint its roads green, but they may nevertheless be greener in the future.

ODOT is considering whether to adopt Greenroads, a sustainability performance metric developed by a team of University of Washington researchers and CH2M HILL engineers. The state agency is studying the rating system while working with UW professor Steve Muench on two pilot projects.

“Greenroads offers a way of measuring our progress in reducing the agency’s carbon footprint, said Barnie Jones, ODOT research section manager. “It allows us to look at the cost and benefits of different things and where they lead in terms of real sustainable improvements to the way we build roads.”

Greenroads awards points much like the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program does for buildings. For Greenroads, points are earned for using recycled or local materials, treating storm water on-site, providing cyclist and pedestrian access or preserving natural habitats. Jones said Greenroads is more comprehensive than LEED, however, because it holds projects accountable for impacts such as those affecting communities.

In Southern Oregon, ODOT is testing the Greenroads points system on its U.S. 97 Lava Butte South Century Drive project, which could become the first in Oregon to be Greenroads certified. Using the Greenroads framework, ODOT installed its first wildlife crossing, which uses fencing along U.S. Highway 97 to funnel mule deer into a tunnel that crosses beneath the roadway. Crews worked to preserve the surrounding trees, and will use water reclaimed from nearby Sunriver to dampen roads when they become dusty in dry weather. Deer will share the new pathway with cyclists and pedestrians, who can use it to reach nearby trails.

Researchers are studying how much more road projects will cost if the Greenroads program is followed. The state’s transportation budget is tight already, but proponents say any increase in construction costs up-front will be made up over the life of the road. Though the wildlife pathways added to the cost of the U.S. 97 project, the reduction in drivers’ collisions with animals makes the investment worthwhile to ODOT, Cornell said.

Greenroads scoring also looks at how projects address issues such as light pollution, noise mitigation and road longevity. Cornell said the system is flexible enough to also offer points for being sensitive to cultures, such as outreach performed when working near Native-owned land. Points are even available via a custom credit, in which project officials are able to demonstrate a sustainable practice not covered in Greenroads.

Another pilot project being studied by ODOT is one to align an intersection along Highway 34 between Interstate 5 and Corvallis. The project will earn Greenroads bonus points because of ODOT’s efforts to preserve a local market.

“Under normal procedures, (the market) could have been removed for access,” Cornell said. “But in our public hearings, the community said it was very important to them for the store to stay. Instead of asking them to move, we purchased a right-of-way and will build them a driveway so there is better and safer access to the business.”

The intersection realignment project also will add a bike and pedestrian path. Cornell said cyclists and walkers regular traverse the stretch of road, which is dangerous because of fast-moving cars and a very small shoulder.

“The whole point of this (Greenroads) system is to get a broader perspective on transportation,” Cornell said. “If you add a bike path, will it reduce traffic on a road? How can we incorporate other modes of transportation on existing roads? These are questions we’ve been asking during the process.”

ODOT plans to continue its study of Greenroads through 2011. Originally developed at the University of Washington in 2007 by Martina Soderlund, a master’s student in civil and environmental engineering, the framework also is being looked by the Washington State Department of Transportation. In the future, the entire program will be managed online.